Leading children's media research firm The Michael Cohen Group (MCG) presented the results of a diverse nationwide survey of parents at the Digital Kids Conference at Toy Fair 2014 in New York, NY. The study, conducted on February 13th, polled 350 parents of children 12 and under and found touch-screen devices were played with more often than any other toy, including game consoles.
Despite this, only 10% of parents believed that touchscreens were "always" toys. The majority (58%) believed they were "sometimes" toys and 32% believed they were "never" toys.
Interestingly, the most popular type of touchscreen gaming reported by parents was educational (53% either "very often" or "often"), followed by music (50% either "very often" or "often"), and free play (49% either "very often" or "often").
As the number of families with touchscreens increase among families, so does ownership among children. The Zero to Eight: Children's Media Use in America study, conducted by Common Sense Media, found 7% of children under 8 own their own tablet. Recent research by MCG suggests that more than 32% of children in families with at least one touch screen own their own device.
What does this mean for the future of the toy industry and its integration with touchscreen technology? How do parent's perceptions of touchscreens as educational influence their children's screen time, play patterns, and ownership?
